Comparing the health status of male and female veterans who use VA health care: results from the VA Women's Health Project.

BACKGROUND: In recent years the number of women serving in the military has increased substantially, resulting in more demand for VA services by women veterans. This paper describes the characteristics and health status of women veterans who use VA ambulatory services.
METHODS: Respondents in the VA Women's Health Project (n = 719) represent a randomly selected subsample from all women who had an ambulatory visit between July 1, 1994 and June 30, 1995 at a large tertiary care VA facility in the Boston area. Summary statistics on eight dimensions of health status (using the SF-36) for women veterans who use VA ambulatory care are provided. Comparisons are made between women veterans and men veterans who use VA services.
RESULTS: Women veterans reported consistently low scores on health status across multiple dimensions, reflecting considerable health needs. Among veterans using VA services, women were younger, better educated, and less likely to be married than male veterans. Women veterans who use VA ambulatory services scored lower on every scale except physical functioning and general health perceptions when compared to male VA users. There were more pronounced differences for women on scales measuring emotional health.
CONCLUSIONS: Health status among women veterans is moderate to poor. Important differences in health status are observed between men and women who use VA services which have implications for improving health care to women veterans at VA facilities. These findings strongly indicate that increased mental health services need to be available for women veterans seeking VA health care.